15 Hoboken + Jersey City News Stories You Missed This Week

It’s been quite the news week in Hoboken and Jersey City. For starters, a Jersey City student who has grown up in and out of homelessness has been accepted into 17 different colleges— making national news + causing an entire community to celebrate his academic achievements, the City of Hoboken is currently deliberating on a new ordinance that regulates local bar crawls, and… so much more! Read on to find out 14 stories you missed in Hoboken + Jersey City this weekend:

NJ Teen Who Was Once Homeless Gets Accepted to 17 Colleges

A Jersey City high schooler who was once homeless has made headlines after being accepted into 17 different colleges across the country. Dylan Chidick, 17, moved to the United States from Trinidad when he was just seven years old. Since becoming a citizen, his family suffered from periods of homelessness and his younger twin brothers were born with life-threatening heart conditions.

But none of Chidick’s personal hardships impeded on his plan to get accepted to college. In fact, he plans on being the first in his family to receive a higher education.

“The dream I want to achieve, I have to have a lot of determination,” he told CBS News. “My family went through a lot and there has been a lot of people saying, ‘you can’t do that,’ or ‘you’re not going to achieve this,’ and me – getting these acceptances – kind of verifies what I have been saying. I can do it and I will do it.”

Dylan credits his mom’s assistance from WomenRising as the reason he wants to do better. “Making herself vulnerable and putting herself out there, that made me determined to never let us get back in that situation again,” Dylan shared with CBS.

Dylan — who is senior class president and a member of the Honor Society at Henry Snyder High School — has already received acceptances from NJCU, Ramapo, Albright, and Quinnipiac University. But he admits he’s waiting on one more acceptance.

“The College of New Jersey,” he said. “I haven’t heard back yet, but that is my top school right now.”

Congratulations to Dylan and his family for this amazing academic achievement!

Hoboken Considers Enacting Pub Crawl Regulations

The City of Hoboken is considering a new ordinance that would regulate local pub crawls. The ordinance currently under consideration would make it so that taxpayers’ money wouldn’t be responsible for the local events.

It would require that pub crawl promoters and participants register in advance; participants would also be required to provide the city with security and cleanup plans. If the hosts of the crawl cannot provide these plans, they have the option to instead provide financial reimbursement to pay for police overtime and cleaning.

It seems the ordinance is a direct response to Hoboken’s more famous pub crawl events like LepreCon and Santacon. Councilman Mike DeFusco is supporting the bill, citing that police have long felt LepreCon and SantaCon were “magnets for drunken and rowdy crowds.”

Café Peanut in JC Currently Undergoing Construction

Café Peanut is the latest eatery coming to Jersey City. A sign at 586 Newark Avenue in Journal Square recently went up at the site, which is currently under construction. Construction paper lines the windows so that no one can see in and the building permits are also taped up to the Jersey City storefront. No word yet on when it’ll open, but we’ll keep you updated.

NJ.com has released its list of the top 50 best hole-in-the-wall restaurants throughout the state of New Jersey. Four local spots — three in Hoboken and one in Jersey City — made the cut.

Piccolo’s Famous Cheesesteaks has been open in Hoboken since 1955 and owner “PattyBoy” Spaccavento brags about never promoting the restaurant through a TV commercial.

Fiore’s Deli in Hoboken, an authentic Italian deli with no printed sandwich menu, also got a nod from NJ.com. Fiore’s also has no official website or Facebook page and is known for its roast beef and mozzarella sub {thanks to word of mouth} that’s only available on Thursdays and Saturdays.

The third Hoboken location to be recognized is M+P Biancamano, an Italian deli known for its mozzarella and subs packed-to-the-brim. Representing Jersey City is Boulevard Drinks, located by the Journal Square PATH Station, where locals can grab a hot dog from their famous bright-yellow counters.

Cuts for a Cause Giving Haircuts to Hoboken Shelter Guests

Cuts For a Cause is an organization that will give over 100 guests at the Hoboken Shelter haircuts and other grooming services on Monday, April 15th.

“This was inspired by a YouTube video of a barber in Los Angeles who walked around giving free haircuts to people on the street,” said John Venus, Hoboken resident and the event organizer. “The smile on each person’s face after receiving a free haircut truly inspired me. From there, all it took was connecting with my long-time friend Timothy Midgley, who founded DIEMlife®, and a small cast of committed volunteers, and here we are!”

Thanks to a group of local volunteers and DIEMlife®, Cuts for a Cause will bring together 10 of the area’s professional barbers and stylists to participate in the event. Cuts for a Cause is currently accepting donations; the recommended donation is $10, which pays for one haircut. If interested, you can make donations here.

A Taste of Hoboken Coming Up on March 19th

The Hoboken Community Center is hosting the 25th Taste of Hoboken event on Tuesday, March 19th. The event supports the renovation of the building’s recreation wing and will feature live music from Hoboken’s own Swingadelic, wine and beer from Giannone Wine and Liquor, and cuisine tastings from some of Hoboken’s most beloved restaurants – La Cucharamama, Zafra, Carlo’s Bakery, Tutta Pesca, Madison Bar and Grill, Cho O Pain, Halifax, Antique Bar & Bakery, La Isla, Karma Kafe, Court Street, Losurdo’s Deli, Leo’s Grandevous, Elysian Cafe, and Charitto’s to name a few.

Held at the Howe Center’s Bissinger Room at Steven’s Institute of Technology, which features gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline, a Prosecco Preview at 6:00PM will kick things off. For the Prosecco Preview, guests pay a premium to mingle with chefs and other restaurant representatives in a VIP room that’s less crowded and more exclusive. General admission starts at 7:00PM and the event runs until 9:00PM.

“The renaissance of Hoboken has seen many great things like the restoration of the waterfront, several new parks and the addition of the light rail on the west side. What Hoboken still desperately needs is a community center that serves everyone,” said Ken Nilsen, president of the Hoboken Community Center, in a press release. “With broad support from our elected leaders and members of the community, we have real momentum towards restoring and reopening the recreational facilities at the former Y. All proceeds from A Taste of Hoboken will go toward that effort.” Get tickets here.

Hoboken Awarded $100,000 ‘Innovative Challenge’ Grant

State officials awarded $1000,000 to five New Jersey communities and Hoboken is one of them. The grant, which was doled out by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority {NJEDA}, called “Innovative Challenge” grant challenges local programs to improve the quality of life of their residents. It is “designed to encourage municipalities and counties to advance plans to strengthen their local innovation ecosystems in collaboration with local higher education institutions and other strategic partners.”

In this second round of funding, Hoboken’s proposal for the grant included plans to team up with Stevens Institute of Technology, the Hoboken Public Library, and Propelify, LLC, to plan the creation of a co-working innovation center with the goal of providing resources like space, mentorship, community, and capital.

“I’d like to thank Governor Murphy and the NJEDA for recognizing Hoboken in this second round of funding,” Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla said. “We are thrilled to partner with local innovation leaders and this investment by the NJEDA will help solidify and nurture the emerging tech community in North Jersey.”

Other NJ towns to receive the Innovative Challenge grant include Cape May County, Newark, Plainfield, and Paterson.

Milk Sugar Love Opening Second Location in Jersey City

Milk Sugar Love is opening its second location in Jersey City. Located in the Heights at 394 Palisade Avenue, the new location will debut in early April. Milk Sugar Love has been an ice cream staple in JC for the past six years since the original location opened up at 19 McWilliams Place.

All of Milk Sugar Love’s ice cream is made by hand with only grass-fed, organic milk and cream. MSL also locally sources all of its products and offers flavors like maple bacon toffee, lemon meringue, orange marzipan, caramel corn, honey pretzel, and many, many more! And for the vegans in the house, they have dairy-free options, too.

State Releases Report Grading Jersey Schools

The State of New Jersey has released its second annual report that grades each school. While the report has recently come under fire for criticism that it does not accurately portray Jersey’s school systems, it continues to grade each school on a rate from 1 to 100. The point of the grading system is to establish whether each NJ school complies with Every Student Succeeds Act {ESSA}, the federal act that replaced No Child Left Behind.

Ratings are out of 100 and take into account graduation and absenteeism rates, PARCC scores, and student progress. While we’ve listed Hoboken’s ratings below, the full list can be accessed here.

Let Me Be Great CrossFit + Elite Gym

Celebrating Grand Opening

There’s a new gym in town. Let Me Be Great CrossFit + Elite Gym is celebrating its grand opening on March 15th, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop will also be at the new location — 517 Communipaw Avenue — to cut the ribbon at 4:00PM. After the grand opening, there will be an after-party featuring fitness, food, and fun!

PATH Stations Introduce New Entertainment Program

As part of a new entertainment initiative called “PATH Performs! Art in Transit,” Port Authority officials have teamed up with Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs to bring entertainment to five popular PATH stations. PATH is looking for musicians, poets, dancers, and all-around entertainers for the following five stations: Hoboken, Journal Square, Harrison, Newport, and Exchange Place. If you are an entertainer interested in applying for an audition, you can sign up and find all other necessary information and guidelines here.

The Travel Channel Filming ‘Man Vs. Food‘ in Hoboken

Friday was a big day in Hoboken and if you noticed less parking than usual, it was probably because the Travel Channel’s hit TV show Man Vs. Food was in town filming for an upcoming episode. The show, hosted by Casey Webb, was filming Friday at the Fire Department Museum and Tony Boloney’s infamous baby-sized slices of pizza were the reason. More details on the upcoming episode as they arrive!

Ghost Truck Kitchen Opens in Jersey City

“A new restaurant concept inspired by food trucks and made for takeout,” is the motto of Ghost Truck Kitchen. And after much social media suspense, GTK is finally open in Jersey City {with a soft opening this weekend}. Located at 316 Varick Street downtown, Ghost Truck Kitchen opened Saturday, March 16th for the weekend from 5PM-10PM — with a call to action of residents to come by and try their menus.

“We offer delicious items designed to maintain their quality during travel. We focus on ensuring that every order is fresh, accurate and neatly packaged in eco-friendly containers,” GTK’s founders share on its website. The menu appears to have a variety of cuisine options —including vegan — that are easily packageable and made for takeout {the food truck vibe being that you can order from several different trucks — or in this case, menus — and enjoy under one roof}. We’ll share more about this new concept in a post very soon. Check out their site here.

Hoboken Waterfront and Bike Pathway Getting Updates

The City of Hoboken and the South Waterfront Corporation are teaming up to bring upgrades to the walkway and bike paths near the South waterfront along Pier A in Hoboken. The team is currently completing a field review and plans to host a public forum regarding the upgrades on April 30.

“Our waterfront is what makes our City special for both residents and visitors,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “These upgrades will greatly enhance the experience when walking and biking along our waterfront, increase pedestrian safety, and improve the connectivity of our City.”

The South Waterfront Corporation seeks to improve the current state of the walkways and bike paths by restoring the walkway surface, replacing trees and other vegetation, and upgrading pedestrian and bicycle safety regulations to ultimately enhance the waterfront experience for all.

The waterfront walkway repair includes plans to restore sections of the walkway and upgrade cosmetics such as railings, benches, light posts, and planting new vegetation. In order to enhance the safety of both pedestrians and cyclists, the project plans to provide a connection to the waterfront walkway at 4th and Newark Streets, and more.

Residents are invited to a community meeting on April 30 at the Multi-Service Center at 6:30 pm for the public to review concept plans.

Uber’s Bike Company is Considering Coming to Jersey City

Uber’s electric bike company called Jump has been eyeing Jersey City and is ready to jump on it as soon as the State legalizes e-bikes.

Jump allegedly sent a proposal to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop earlier in March and seeks an agreement between the company and city. According to NJ.com, the proposal included staffing people in Jersey City, sharing revenue with the municipal government, and making sure the entire city has a full stock of bikes.

It’s an interesting turn of events seeing as Citi Bike Jersey City pulled out just last year, citing low ridership. But it seems like Jump is ready to take on the challenge and do what Citi Bike did, only better.

“There are holes in that program that do not allow for access in the entire city and we feel like we could fill those gaps,” Uber spokesman Josh Gold said.

Jump originated in Brooklyn and now operates in nearly 20 cities country-wide. Their bikes are e-bikes and can be locked anywhere once the user is finished riding. Citi Bike’s bikes, however, had to be returned to a bike dock.

But there are of course other challenges in place besides waiting on New Jersey to legalize e-bikes statewide; Jersey City still has a contract with the company that owns Citi Bike and that contract does in fact have an exclusivity clause. Good news is though, that contract expires sometime in 2020.